The bike path that runs along the Southern edge of Eastern section of the new Bay Bridge in Oakland, Calif., on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. Plans are coming together for the access to the Bay Bridge bike path from the East Bay. However, the path won't go all the way to Yerba Buena/ Treasure Islands for at least a year because a chunk of the old bridge sits in the way. less

The bike path that runs along the Southern edge of Eastern section of the new Bay Bridge in Oakland, Calif., on Friday Nov. 2, 2012. Plans are coming together for the access to the Bay Bridge bike path from the ... more

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

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Workers continue construction of the east span, which is scheduled to open in September.

Workers continue construction of the east span, which is scheduled to open in September.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

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With the old Bay Bridge in the background, construction continues on the new east span.

With the old Bay Bridge in the background, construction continues on the new east span.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

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The bike path, under construction, will go just past the suspension tower when the bridge first opens.

The bike path, under construction, will go just past the suspension tower when the bridge first opens.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

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Years of U-turns for Bay Bridge bike path

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Bicyclists will be able to pedal their way onto the new Bay Bridge east span when it opens in just 10 months - but for two years they'll have to stop short of Yerba Buena Island and turn around.

The main foundation of the existing bridge, as well as the S-curve detour, sits right in the way of the bike and pedestrian path, which is on the south side of the new span. Before the path can connect to Yerba Buena and Treasure islands, demolition crews have to remove the top of the foundation, and contractors have to build new on- and off-ramps to the islands.

Until then, the path will end just past the east span's soaring white 525-foot signature tower, limiting it to recreational use.

Bike advocates, who fought to have the path included as part of the east span replacement, were informed of the delay in completing the connection about a year ago, said Andrew Fremier, deputy executive director of the Bay Area Toll Authority. While they weren't thrilled, he said, they understood the reasons.

The delay is frustrating for bicycle commuters and advocates who were already campaigning for Caltrans and the authority to add a bicycle path across the west span of the Bay Bridge with connecting paths on Yerba Buena and Treasure islands.

"It's very disappointing," said Renee Rivera, executive director of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition. "I think people will be excited to come out and ride on the new bridge, but that is different from being able to connect with the community on Treasure Island."

While bike riders will have to wait to pedal all the way across the new east span, they'll have a fairly direct route to the bridge bike paths that take them off of streets often crowded with trucks heading to and from the Port of Oakland. The access routes, parts of which are already being graded, paved and lighted, will take cyclists from Shellmound Street in Emeryville, near the Ikea store beneath the MacArthur Maze, and from West Oakland along Grand Avenue. Another bike route, already completed, allows bike riders to get from West Oakland into Emeryville along Mandela Parkway.

Those bike paths will meet, and carry bicyclists and pedestrians along the south side of the toll plaza. It will swoop beneath the existing bridge to a temporary ramp leading up to the east span bike path. A permanent ramp will be built after the existing bridge is demolished.

Rivera said the new paths provide a good, flat connection to the bridge bike path and the planned Gateway Park that will eventually be built at its eastern end.

"It's going to be surprisingly easy to make that connection at ground level," she said. "And it's going to provide access to the Bay Trail and part of the bay shore that most people have never seen."

Bicycle advocates are also hopeful their lobbying efforts will lead to bike, pedestrian and maintenance access paths to the west span, Rivera said. A $1.6 million study that makes the project eligible for funding is being prepared by a consultant for the toll authority.

The plan proposed a pair of pathways that would be cantilevered off both sides of the upper deck of the bridge. One path would be set aside for bicyclists and pedestrians while the other would be reserved for Caltrans maintenance vehicles. But both paths could be shared.

Because attaching two paths would increase the weight of the suspension span, causing it to flatten slightly, the study considers replacing the bridge decks with lighter materials. Replacing the decks at the same time the bike paths are added would raise the project cost from about a half-billion dollars to $800 million to $1 billion.